Brooke was pretty sure something was wrong with Chloe. Since the play, she and Chloe had gotten closer with the 'Squip Squad' as Rich had dubbed them. Pretty often they found themselves hanging out in Michael's basement or sleeping over at Christine's house. But Chloe had grown distant. Sure, she seemed okay to most people. But most people weren't Brooke, who could tell when Chloe wasn't okay.
Brooke was watching Michael and Jeremy play Apocalypse of the Damned in Michael's basement when she asked them for guidance.
"Do you think Chloe's okay?" She asked. Michael paused the game and twisted around to look at her.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well, ever since the play," Jeremy flinched slightly. "Chloe's been sort of… out of it. She's not avoiding me or anything, but she's not been texting me unless I text her first, and when we're together she's a lot quieter," Brooke said.
"Really? She seems pretty much as talkative as before," Michael said.
"It's hard to notice. I'll look at her when someone else is talking and she seems really… out of it. Normally she's super tuned into conversations, and if she's not, she'll look bored, not… sad or whatever," Brooke said. Michael frowned.
"I mean, you know Chloe better than anyone, Brooke. You're her best friend. I thought that something was off with Jeremy, and I was right. If you think something's up, something's probably up," Michael said.
"Alright, but what do I do? Do I just ask her if she's okay? Because I think she'd get defensive if I asked that," Brooke said.
"Well…" Michael trailed off in thought.
"You said she's been acting weird since the play?" Jeremy asked. Brooke nodded. "Do you think it could be Squip related?" Jeremy asked.
"I mean… that would make sense," Brooke said. Jeremy nodded.
"What was your Squip?" He asked. Brooke frowned.
"Huh?" She asked.
"I mean, mine looked like Keanu Reeves. What did your Squip look like?" Jeremy asked.
"Oh! Mary-Kate Olsen. Why, do you think Chloe's Squip's… form or whatever has something to do with why she's all spacey?" Brooke asked. Jeremy shrugged.
"It's a possibility," He said. Brooke nodded, then frowned.
"Do… do you think her Squip was… me? Is that why she stopped texting me?" She asked, her heartbeat quickening.
"Oh, no, no way!" Jeremy said, and Michael shook his head, but Brooke was unconvinced.
"It probably was… It makes sense. I have to go ask her…" She said, before getting up and leaving, calling a goodbye to the boys who looked at each other nervously.
Fifteen minutes later, Brooke was standing outside of Chloe's house. She had been on Chloe's front step for five minutes already, working up the nerve to knock. Why was she so nervous? This was her best friend's house after all. She reached out to knock on the door when it swung open, and she found herself face to face with a startled Chloe.
"Brooke?" She asked. Brooke shifted.
"Hi, Chloe," She said. Chloe frowned slightly.
"Are you okay? You look worried," She asked. Brooke shrugged.
"Is it okay if I come inside?" Brooke asked. Chloe gave her an odd look.
"You don't even have to ask, Brooke. You come in without asking all the time. And you know the door is unlocked, why were you even going to knock?" She asked. Brooke shrugged again, stepping inside. Chloe closed the door behind her.
"So, you want to head upstairs, or are you just going to stand awkwardly in my front hallway?" Chloe asked.
"Upstairs is good," Brooke said, and Chloe made a show of walking toward the stairs. Brooke cracked a smile as she followed her best friend to her room. Brooke sat down on Chloe's bed as she closed the door and turned back to look at Brooke.
"So?" Chloe asked. Brooke looked up at Chloe, meeting her eyes.
"So yourself," Brooke said.
"There's obviously a reason why you're here, so spit it out," Chloe said.
"So I can't just come over to see my best friend?" Brooke asked. Chloe rolled her eyes.
"God, you know that's not what I meant, you can come over whenever. But there's clearly something up with you, so spill," She said. Brooke took a breath.
"It's just… Jeremy was telling me about his Squip," Brooke noticed Chloe flinch slightly. Maybe Jeremy was onto something, "and apparently, his Squip looked like Keanu Reeves. Mine looked like Mary-Kate Olsen. I didn't realize they looked different to different people. But, like, when I did, I started thinking, and… You've stopped texting me lately, and you're super out of it, so I have to ask… Was your Squip… me?" Brooke found herself very interested in the pattern on Chloe's quilt at that moment, as Chloe sat down next to her.
"No… no, my Squip wasn't you, Brooke," Chloe said after a moment. Brooke looked up at her with a smile.
"Okay, good. Because my Squip said some pretty mean stuff, and I know Jeremy's and Rich's did too, and I want you to know that I might say some kind of mean stuff to you sometimes, but I would never say anything like that to you. You know that, right?" Brooke asked. Chloe stood up again.
"Yeah, I know that Brooke…" She said, before muttering something unintelligible.
"What was that?" Brooke asked. Chloe shook her head.
"You're… you're such a good person, Brooke," She said.
"Well, you are too-" Chloe cut Brooke off.
"No, I'm really not. I'm a bitch to pretty much everyone, and they just… they just take it! You, Jake, Jenna, hell, even Jeremy! You're all so much better than I am!" Chloe was shouting now, and Brooke flinched. Chloe noticed, and calmed down, sitting next to Brooke again.
"God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or anything, but, like… this is what I mean. You all take the shit I say to you. You've taken it for years, Brooke, I don't know how you do it…" She said. Brooke looked at Chloe again.
"Was this what was bothering you? Because you're not a bad person, Chloe, really," Brooke said.
"But I am, Brooke. You're just too much of a good person to see it. Sometimes I wonder why we're even friends when you're so much stronger than I am. You put up with all my shit. You forgive me for trying to steal your boyfriend after I send you a stupid text where I put all of the blame on Jeremy, because you're just… such a good person!" Chloe said. Brooke frowned.
"I don't think you're a bad person, Chloe. You were drunk," She said. Chloe shook her head.
"That's not an excuse, and the least I could do was apologize for real," She said. Brooke smiled softly.
"Isn't that what you're doing now?" She asked. Chloe paused and shrugged.
"I guess…" She said. Brooke placed a hand on her back.
"Look, Chlo, I don't know who told you those things, if it was your Squip, or someone else, but they aren't true. Yeah, you shouldn't have tried to sleep with Jeremy, but you did it. And then you apologized sincerely. I can tell you feel bad about it, and you realize it was wrong, so that makes it okay," Brooke said.
"Does it?" Chloe asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Brooke frowned, worried about her friend..
"Are you okay? For real, what's wrong?" She asked. Chloe sighed.
"You were right, it was a Squip thing," Chloe said. Brooke waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, was even more concerned.
"What about the Squip? Did your Squip say all that stuff about you being a bad person?" Brooke asked. Chloe nodded.
"Yeah. It said I was a terrible person, and that nobody will ever love me if I'm such a bitch, especially not…" Chloe trailed off.
"Do you like someone? Do you want to tell me? They'd have to be an idiot not to like you back, Chlo," Brooke said.
"Really? Because I think the Squip is right. They can't like me, I'm not good enough for them," Chloe said.
"I don't agree. Whoever they are, you deserve the best, Chloe. But you can tell me about your crush later. What, exactly, about the Squip is making you so upset?" Brooke asked.
"She made me realize… how much my words can hurt people. It hurt, Brooke…" Chloe looked close to tears at this point, and Brooke tentatively reached out to take Chloe's hand. That was something they used to do when they were younger. When Brooke fell off the swings at recess and Jake had run to get the nurse, Chloe had stayed with her and held her hand. And when Dustin Kropp pushed Chloe down the slide, Brooke had held Chloe's hand all the way to the nurse's office. When Brooke got her first D on a test, Chloe held her hand. When Chloe went through her first breakup, Brooke held her hand. That was their special thing.
Chloe looked at Brooke, eyes shining. She pulled Brooke in tightly, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.
"Thank you," She whispered. Brooke just reached around Chloe and hugged her back. After a few moments, Chloe broke the hug and looked back at Brooke.
"My Squip wasn't… some celebrity, or one of our friends or teachers, or even my mom. My Squip was me, and I just… when I look in the mirror, I imagine my reflection like… twisting, and telling me how useless I am, and I think about how many times I've said stuff like that to you, or Jake, or Jenna, or Christine or whoever, and I feel so bad about it…" Chloe said.
"God, Chloe… This has been going on since the play?" Brooke asked. Chloe nodded. "Well if it makes a difference, I forgive you," Brooke smiled at Chloe, who smiled back weakly. She looked so vulnerable in that moment, which was a rare occurrence. Brooke pulled Chloe into another hug.
"If you feel bad for stuff you said… you could apologize. I mean, it made you feel better just now, right?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, it did, but I don't think I'm ready to apologize just yet…" Chloe trailed off. Brooke shook her head quickly.
"No, no way! You need time. But for now, I know something else that'll make you feel better…" Brooke grinned.
"Which is?" Chloe asked, anticipating the answer.
"Frozen yogurt," Brooke said. Chloe laughed.
"Of course. I'm always up for frozen yogurt," She said. Brooke nodded.
"I know. Do you want to wait a minute?" Brooke asked. Chloe nodded.
"Yeah, if that's okay," She said.
"Of course it's okay, take your time," Brooke smiled. God, she was so beautiful. And however good she was, she would never feel the way about Chloe that Chloe felt about Brooke. Chloe banished that thought from her brain, because that wasn't Brooke's fault.
"I'm ready now," Chloe said.
"Are you sure?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Now let's get that frozen yogurt!" Chloe said, getting up and heading out of the room. Brooke followed her out.
"So, what were you saying about liking someone?" Brooke asked, taking a spoonful of her frozen yogurt. She had gone with a mix of lemon and peach, with peach slices. Chloe had gotten chocolate and strawberry with strawberry pieces and chocolate sauce. She was currently choking on one of said strawberry pieces.
"What?" She asked after swallowing the strawberry piece.
"I was asking about this little crush of yours," Brooke said with a smirk. Chloe frowned.
"What crush? I didn't say anything about a crush, I don't remember that," She said.
"You definitely did. And now I know you definitely have a crush. This is the way you get when you have a crush," Brooke said. Chloe sighed. Sometimes it sucked, having someone who knows you so well.
"Okay, so maybe I have a little, tiny, small crush. But it's not important," Chloe said. That, unfortunately for Chloe, did not make Brooke any less curious. In fact, it had the opposite effect.
"Come on, tell me! Who is it? Do I know them?" Brooke asked. Chloe nodded.
"Yeah, you do," She sighed. Brooke smiled.
"Come on, tell me!" Brooke said, taking another spoonful of frozen yogurt.
"Well…" Chloe said, trailing off. Brooke sighed.
"At least tell me about them. What are they like?" She asked. Chloe tilted her head, thinking.
"Well… they're really sweet. One of the nicest people I know actually. And their hair is really adorable, no matter what they do with it," She said. Brooke laughed.
"Chloe, I already knew that you liked Jake. You've dated him, what, five times already?" She asked. Chloe shook her head.
"It's not Jake," She said.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Chloe, I'm pretty sure Michael is gay," Brooke said apologetically. Chloe looked surprised.
"Really, Brooke? You think I like Michael? He's sweet and all, but he's so not my type. And I know he's gay, he's got the pride patch on his sweatshirt and everything," Chloe said.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Is it Rich? He does have really nice hair," Brooke said. Chloe shook her head.
"No, it's not Rich. He's also not my type," She said.
"Christine?" Brooke asked.
"Christi… Are you kidding me? Alright, I'll give you another hint. They really like cardigans," Chloe said, and held her breath. There was no way Brooke couldn't figure that out.
"...Jeremy?" Brooke asked incredulously. Chloe facepalmed.
"No, it's not Jeremy, Brooke! I'm pretty sure he's with Michael anyway," Chloe said, and Brooke giggled.
"I was just messing with you, Chloe. I like you too," She said. Chloe froze.
"It… you did mean me, right? I hope I didn't just make things awkward…" Brooke said quickly. Chloe started to smile.
"Of course I meant you, Brooke. Of course I meant you. You… really like me back? For real?" Chloe asked slowly. Brooke nodded.
"I've liked you for two years. Probably longer than that," She said. Chloe laughed airily.
"God, I've liked you for four. Four years. And now you're saying you like me back. Me who tried to sleep with your boyfriend because I was jealous, me who said horrible things to you..." She said.
"Chloe, you apologized, and I'm over it. It's fine," Brooke said. Chloe nodded slowly.
"You're right… But you're also right that I need to apologize to everyone else. It'll make everyone feel better," She said.
"Yes, and that's important, but I think we missed something else very important. Chloe Valentine, will you be my girlfriend?" Brooke asked. Chloe laughed again.
"Of course, Brooke Lohst. Of course I will," She said. She looked down at her frozen yogurt and realized that it had melted.
"Did yours melt too?" Brooke asked. Chloe nodded. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty more frozen yogurt dates to look forward to," Brooke said. Chloe started.
"Was this a date?" She asked.
"Do you want it to be a date?" Brooke asked. Chloe shrugged.
"I mean… Sort of. But I also want to know my first date is a date while I'm having it, you know?" She asked. Brooke nodded.
"Yeah, I get it. How about this counts as a half date. Our next date can be our first full date," Brooke said.
"Alright. Half date it is," Chloe said, and smiled at her girlfriend.
Two weeks later, the Squip Squad had gathered at Christine's for another sleepover. Jake had picked the movie, so it was a comedy. Michael, Jeremy, and Christine were squished on the relatively small couch. Jake had claimed Christine's bean bag chair, and Rich had draped himself across Jake. Jenna, Brooke and Chloe were on the floor. They hadn't been paying much attention to the movie when Chloe spoke up.
"You know, I only had my Squip for an hour. And it said some pretty awful stuff to me. But, like… it also was the first time in a long time that someone treated me the way that I treat other people, and it felt bad. So, I'm really sorry, to, like, any of you who I said stuff like that to," She said.
"It's fine, Chloe. I guess if one good thing came out of that whole Squip incident, it was a better understanding of ourselves," Christine said.
"And me!" Rich said loudly. Everyone laughed.
"On a related note… Me and Michael are dating," Jeremy said. Rich smirked at Jake as Jenna gasped.
"Guess who owes me fifteen bucks!" Rich sang. Chloe laughed as Michael and Jeremy flushed.
"Congratulations guys!" Christine said cheerfully.
"How did I not notice?" Jenna asked. The movie was completely ignored at this point.
"I don't know. We've just been dating for a few weeks, and we haven't really acted differently," Jeremy said.
"Not to steal your big moment or anything, but me and Jake are totally a thing now," Rich said as Jake blushed. Jenna gasped again.
"Seriously?" She asked.
"Congratulations," Chloe said.
"You're just saying that because I owe you ten bucks now," Michael said. Brooke laughed.
"Any other couples hiding here that I'm not aware of?" Jenna asked. Chloe and Brooke exchanged what they thought was a subtle glance, but was really not. Everyone noticed.
"Nice, Valentine!" Jake laughed.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Jenna put her face into her hands.
Chloe looked at her girlfriend laughing along with her friends and thought that things could be a lot worse. Sure, there were going to be rough patches, but she was going to make it through them.